FRINGILLID^. 197 



derest twigs of the alder-bushes, sometimes in small 

 companies of its own kind and sometimes mixed up 

 with Tits and Lesser Redpoles. 



The Siskins pick out the seeds from the catkins 

 of the alders with great dexterity, hanging for this 

 purpose from the twigs in all sorts of attitudes ; 

 sometimes sideways, sometimes with their heads 

 down, and occasionally flying to the ground after a 

 fallen catkin : besides this they eat the buds of 

 various trees, picking out the germ and also the 

 seeds of weeds. In confinement they grow very 

 tame and are easily kept, feeding on canary, rape, 

 hemp or any other bird-seed, but still showing their 

 partiality for the seeds of the alder when they can 

 get a supply : they will also pick up the seeds of 

 grass, docks, thistles, or any other weed that is 

 offered to them. 



The Siskin occasionally breeds in confinement 

 and crosses readily with the Canary, and also, I 

 believe, but not so readily, with the Lesser Kedpole. 

 In its wild state it is not generally supposed to 

 breed in England : two instances, however, of its 

 doing so in the County of Surrey are mentioned 

 by Meyer. In Scotland it frequently remains to 

 breed. 



The place usually chosen for the nest appears to 

 be high up in a spruce or other fir-tree ; but it will 

 occasionally, probably in the absence of high trees, 

 make its nest in a furze or other low bush ; it is said 



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